8+ Movie Franchises: Revisited

Dear Phil,

You may remember that earlier this month, in one of my effusive fangirl Harry Potter Week posts, I asked whether or not any other movie franchises have lasted eight movies (most of the ones that came immediately to mind -- Rocky, Star Wars, etc only have six).  However, thank God for our readers -- one of whom came through like a champ and posted this fairly impressive list:

FBKSan said...
Other 8-part franchises of admittedly dubious quality:

Friday the 13th
Hellraiser
Halloween
Godzilla vs. _________
The Land Before Time (I know! Look it up!)

And also...

Bond
Star Trek (if we're being a bit creative in our interpretation)
Batman (if we're being very creative, counting remakes and... gulp... Catwoman)

 This may be my favorite blog comment ever (even counting the one where that person told me to "take it" and then called me a bitch).  I was so excited about this list, that I thought it deserved a post all its own.

Let's get into these...

1.  Friday the 13th/Hellraiser/Halloween

 

 I'll be honest, I'm just not a huge fan of horror (in fact, until yesterday I kind of thought Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street were the same movie.  I know.  De-friend me on facebook if you have to).  However, my own preferences aside -- this trio of fright franchises are totally legit contributions to the list.

2.  Godzilla Vs.  __________ 



Ditto.  I guess.  Although, truthfully, even though there are no fewer than twenty-eight Godzilla movies in the can, I have never seen a single one in the whole of my movie-watching career.  Are any of them really a must-see?  For those of you who feel strongly enough about it, weigh in with the best of the bunch below, and I'll consider adding it to my Netflix queue.

3.  The Land Before Time



There are, in fact, TWELVE sequels to the original Don Bluth cartoon.  However, despite the fact that this technically counts as an 8-plus franchise, I'm going to disqualify it from the list on the grounds that only one of the thirteen LBT movies was released in theaters (the twelve follow ups were straight-to-video.  Two of them were sing-a-longs.  Enough said).

Sidenote: Omg, where is Don Bluth right now?  Why is he not somewhere making impossibly charming animated features?  Seriously DB, it's been like ten years since Titan A.E. It's time for a comeback.


4.  Bond
 

When I say go, let's all say our favorite James Bond actor.  Ready?  Go.

 

Daniel Craig.  I know, it's crazy.  And believe me, I don't like to cross Sean Connery when he's holding a harpoon -- but still, there's something about Daniel Craig's whole rough-and-tumble, grunt-y, thug life Bond that was fun for me.  Roger Moore always struck me as a bit of a tool; George Lazenby's um... gun is too small; Timothy Dalton is fine, but always reads to me more like a villain on screen.  Am I alone in this?  Maybe it's because I always seem to picture him mustachioed, even when he's clean shaven.  And finally, I'll just say it:  Pierce Brosnan.  Worst.  Bond.  Ever.

5.  Star Trek



 I'm not even really going to touch this one.  I have far too much respect for the epic and impossibly well-informed, global fan base (of which two of my favorite people on earth are members) to ever dream of speaking about this franchise from my woefully ill-equipped position -- especially with Comic-Con right around the corner and so many of them well-poised to form ranks and attack.  Live long and prosper, Star Trek fans.

6.  Batman



I don't know why, but for some reason I'm loathe to let this one on the list.  Possibly because this franchise feels so disjointed to me.  The original 1966 movie is okay.  The two with Michael Keaton are fun and dark in that Tim Burton-y kind of way.  Batman Forever holds a campy, but affectionate place in my 15-year-old heart.  Then, George Clooney and Alicia Silverstone (who, for the record, I love to distraction) nearly killed the whole franchise until finally, Chris Nolan and Heath Ledger rode in on a white (dark?) horse, earned nine oscar nominations and saved us from ourselves.

Also, as FBKSan pointed out, to include Batman in this round-up, we have to count the Halle Berry Catwoman movie, and frankly, that scene where La Berry hocks a fur ball into her hand still weirdly haunts me.  Hopefully, Anne Hathaway will fair better. 

To sum up:  Even though this is an admirably compiled list of franchises that do indeed satisfy my original query, I still don't believe any of them actually deliver on the spirit of my question, which was:  Has any other franchise done what the Harry Potter movies have done?  Namely, released eight coherent movies on a consistent schedule with no lengthy breaks (one film every 18 or so months, give or take), starring the same cast (not counting deceased cast members who had to be replaced -- RIP, Richard Harris) and crew (albeit different directors) that have felt cohesive and uninterrupted?  I don't think so.  But, as always, I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

xo,
Lindy